The Wokingham Stakes is a six-furlong handicap for three-year-olds and upwards on the final day of Royal Ascot.
It is one of the most prestigious sprint handicaps of the season, alongside the likes of the Stewards’ Cup and the Ayr Gold Cup. There have been four dual winners of the Wokingham, the most recent being Selhurstpark Flyer (1997, 1998).
Other notable winners include Petong (1984), Mac’s Fighter (1989), Iffraaj (2005), Deacon Blues (2011) and Cape Byron (2019).
The Wokingham Stakes is a flat handicap horse event held in the United Kingdom for horses aged three and above. It is held every year in June at Ascot with a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres).
The Wokingham Stakes was first run in 1813 with victory going to the Duke of York’s Pointers. The first dual winner of the race was ironically named Wokingham (1881, 1882). Portland Bay (1908, 1909) and Concerto (1932, 1933) followed with only Selhurstpark Flyer (1997, 1998) managing the feat since.
There have been a number of high class sprinters of the Wokingham who have later gone on to win at Group race level. These include Petong (1984) who carried 9st 6lbs for Michael Jarvis and Bruce Raymond. The flying grey went on to win the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup.
In 2003 the race produced a dead-heat between Fayr Jag and Ratio, trained by Tim Easterby and John Hammond respectively. Although this race is one of the most competitive sprints of the season, there have been some successful gambles over the years.
Favourites won in successive seasons in 2004 and 2005 with Lafi and Iffraaj. The latter was backed down to 9-4 favourite. Another gamble was landed when Laddies Poker Two won as the 9-2 favourite for Jeremy Noseda and Johnny Murtagh in 2010.
Murtagh won again the following season aboard James Fanshawe’s Deacon Blues. That horse went on to win the Group 2 British Champions Sprint at Ascot in 2011. Bookmakers have enjoyed some long priced winners in recent years, the only winning favourite being Cape Byron in 2019.
Key Wokingham Stakes Trials
No race has emerged as a key trial for the Wokingham, although previous form at Ascot is an advantage. Ten of the last twelve winner had at least one previous outing at the track and four of them were course winners.
Most recent Wokingham winners have taken a step up in class next time. Only Deacon Blues (2011) of the last twelve winners won next time out, taking the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury. Three Wokingham winners ran in the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket next time but all were unplaced. Recent history shows that it is difficult for Wokingham winners after they have been reassessed by the handicapper. Only two of the last twelve managed to win again in the same season after Royal Ascot.
Wokingham Stakes Betting Trends
Laddies Poker Two (2010) and Cape Byron (2019) are the only winning favourites in the last twelve renewals of the Wokingham Stakes. That is not surprising, given the wide open nature of the race. Deacon Blues (2011) was a well-backed second favourite but the other nine winners were all outsider the top three in the betting. The longest priced winners during that period were Dandy Boy (2012) and Bacchus (2018) who both returned at 33-1. Out Do (2017) was a 25-1 shot and Hey Jonesy (2020) returned at 18-1.
Dandy Boy carried 9st 8lbs to victory, the same weight as 2021 winner Rohaan and only 1lb less than Cape Byron, so weight is no barrier to success in this race. Indeed, nine of the last twelve winners carried 9st 1lb or more to victory.
Of those twelve, only Laddies Poker Two (95) was rated lower than 98. The highest rated winner during that time was Rohaan (112) who was also the first three-year-old to win the race since Bel Byou in 1987. Out Do was the oldest winner in modern times when winning as an eight-year-old. Ages four and five have accounted for nine of the last twelve winners.
Wokingham Stakes – Top Trainers and Jockeys
No trainer or jockey has been able to dominate this competitive event over the years. Four trainers currently share the record of three Wokingham winners; Joe Cannon, Richard Marsh, Charles Morton and Paul Cole. The latter won it for the first time with Calibina (1977) and later scored with Queen’s Pride (1980) and Bel Byou (1987).
It is a similar story with the jockeys where seven share the record of three wins in the race; Fred Archer, Otto Madden, Harry Wragg, Jack Strett, Lester Piggott, Willie Carson and Johnny Murtagh.
Wokingham Stakes Previous Winners
Take a look at the previous winners from the Wokingham Stakes:
Year
Winner
Age
Jockey
Trainer
2013
York Glory
5
Jamie Spencer
Kevin Ryan
2014
Baccarat
5
George Chaloner
Richard Fahey
2015
Interception
5
George Baker
David Lanigan
2016
Outback Traveller
5
Martin Harley
Robert Cowell
2017
Out Do
8
Daniel Tudhope
David O’Meara
2018
Bacchus
4
Jim Crowley
Brian Meehan
2019
Cape Byron
5
Andrea Atzeni
Roger Varian
2020
Hey Jonesy
5
Kevin Stott
Kevin Ryan
2021
Rohaan
3
Shane Kelly
David Evans
2022
Rohaan
4
Ryan Moore
David Evans
2023
Saint Lawrence
5
Hollie Doyle
Archie Watson
Wokingham Stakes Previous Result
Check out the latest result on the Ascot Racing Track:
What a training performance!! đź‘Ź
Saint Lawrence wins the Wokingham Stakes on his first start for Archie Watson after being winless for 3 years for Roger Varian.
The Wokingham Stakes is one of the biggest betting races of the week with bookmakers offering enhanced each-way terms, sometimes down to sixth or seventh place. It is one of the toughest races of the season for punters to solve and many gambles have gone astray for the few that have been landed. A thrilling contest but perhaps one in which to spread your bets for some each-way value.
Best Wokingham Stakes Betting Sites
Here are the most popular free bets for Wokingham Stakes betting:
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LiveScore Bet bonus code and sign-up offer is available to new sports betting punters on all of the races at Royal Ascot Festival
